Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party

Political party in Southern Rhodesia
Politics of Rhodesia
Political history
Government
Legislature
  • Leader of the Opposition
Political parties
Foreign relations
National symbols
  • v
  • t
  • e

The Southern Rhodesian Liberal Party was a political party in Southern Rhodesia, founded in 1943 by Jacob Smit (1881–1959), the former United Party (UP) Minister of Finance. It is thought that Smit split from the UP largely because Prime Minister Sir Godfrey Martin Huggins had failed to include him in the exclusive Second World War Defence Committee.

In his A History of Rhodesia, Robert Blake writes that Smit's party, "in accordance with the Rhodesian tradition of adopting the most misleading political nomenclature possible, called themselves 'Liberals.'" The party was, in fact, pronouncedly illiberal, and attempted to unite conservative, non-trade union opposition to the UP while opposing government economic regulation and the advancement of Black political interests. The Liberal Party did well in the 1946 general election, winning 12 out of 30 seats in the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Assembly, but in the 1948 general election it won only five seats and its support declined subsequently. It was to become one of the political precursors to the future Rhodesian Front (RF) party.[1]

See also

References

References
Bibliography
  • v
  • t
  • e
Parliamentary parties
Other parties
Defunct Zimbabwean
parties
Defunct Rhodesian
parties
Presidents
Prime Ministers
Key people
Armed factions


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a Zimbabwean political party is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e
Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a Rhodesian political party is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e